Pressure Is A Privilege (2280)

Success changes the weight you carry, not the work you avoid. In today’s episode, Kevin and Alan cut through one of the most misunderstood ideas in self-improvement and personal development. Growth does not simplify your life. It sharpens it. The better you get, the more responsibility your decisions carry. The higher you climb, the more consistency and self-awareness are required to stay there.

This conversation challenges surface-level motivation and reframes what real progress actually demands over the long term. If you are serious about personal development, disciplined decision-making, and building success you can sustain, this episode will reset your expectations. Listen carefully. Then decide if you are willing to carry what you are asking for.

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Learn more about:
Your first 30-minute “Business Breakthrough Session” call with Alan is FREE. This call is designed to help you identify bottlenecks and build a clear plan for your next level. - https://calendly.com/alanlazaros/30-minute-breakthrough-session

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NLU is not just a podcast; it’s a gateway to a wealth of resources designed to help you achieve your goals and dreams. From our Next Level Dreamliner to our Group Coaching, we offer a variety of tools and communities to support your personal development journey.

For more information, check out our website and socials using the links below. 👇

Website: http://www.nextleveluniverse.com

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Kevin: https://www.instagram.com/neverquitkid/
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Alan: https://www.facebook.com/alan.lazaros
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Email:
Kevin@nextleveluniverse.com
Alan@nextleveluniverse.com

LinkedIn:
Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-palmieri-5b7736160/
Alan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanlazarosllc/

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Show notes:
(3:31) Every success has real costs
(5:42) Success increases responsibility
(6:18) The lie that success makes life easier
(7:57) Circumstances change the right strategy
(9:39) Accuracy Vs. Inspiration
(11:33) Credibility and making things look easy
(15:22) Growth requires choosing harder paths
(23:43) Goals force you to become more
(28:36) Outro

🎙️ Hosted by Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros

Next Level University is a top-ranked daily podcast for dream chasers and self-improvement lovers. With over 2,100 episodes, we help you level up in life, love, health, and wealth one day at a time. Subscribe for real, honest, no-fluff growth every single day.

Chapters

• 3:31 Every success has real costs
• 5:42 Success increases responsibility
• 6:18 The lie that success makes life easier
• 7:57 Circumstances change the right strategy
• 9:39 Accuracy Vs. Inspiration
• 11:33 Credibility and making things look easy
• 15:22 Growth requires choosing harder paths
• 23:43 Goals force you to become more
• 28:36 Outro

Transcript

Kevin Palmieri

(0:00) I saw a clip the other day that was a really good representation of something that we've talked about a lot, and I don't know if I saw it before and that's where I got this thought process, but yeah, today's gonna be an inspirational, motivational, kick-in-the-ass type episode.

Alan Lazaros

(0:15) What if your biggest challenge today was at one point just a dream?

Kevin Palmieri

(0:20) Welcome to Next Level University. (0:23) I'm your host, Kevin Palmieri. (0:24) And I'm your co-host, Alan Lazarus.(0:27) At NLU, we believe in a heart-driven but no-BS approach to holistic self-improvement for dream chasers.

Alan Lazaros

(0:34) Our goal with every episode is to help you level up your life, love, health, and wealth.

Kevin Palmieri

(0:41) We bring you a new episode every single day on topics like confidence, self-belief, self-worth, self-awareness, relationships, boundaries, consistency, habits, and defining your own unique version of success.

Alan Lazaros

(0:56) Self-improvement, in your pocket, every day, from anywhere, completely free. (1:03) Welcome to Next Level University.

Kevin Palmieri

(1:09) Next Level Nation today for episode number 2280. (1:13) Pressure is a privilege. (1:15) There's a fighter from either Australia or New Zealand.(1:20) His name's Alex Volkanovski. (1:21) Volkanovski. (1:23) And he talks about this.(1:25) He talks about how he was a featherweight, 145, and then he got knocked out there, unfortunately, which is devastating because he is a fan favorite, for sure. (1:43) But he just got his belt back recently, I believe. (1:45) I don't know.(1:45) I don't watch fighting like I used to, which is devastating to me. (1:48) But he talks about how pressure is a privilege. (1:50) And Alan and I were talking earlier, and I am, I have not been as overwhelmed as I am right now in a long, I mean, Tara and I are moving in February.(1:58) We're getting a new place. (2:00) We just got a very, another very big client, and then another client, and then I was connected with somebody who had their own podcast production company. (2:09) They're going out of business and stopping, so they're sending us some of their clients.(2:13) I had somebody come out of the woodwork yesterday. (2:14) It's insane right now. (2:16) It is absolutely insane.(2:18) And I remember what it was like long before this. (2:23) I will never forget. (2:25) I will never ever, for as long as I live, forget the waking up at 5 a.m. every day, and taking coaching calls at 7 a.m., and just trying to pay the bills, and just nobody cared, and nobody wanted to work with us, and nobody saw the value. (2:39) And I think it's really, it's really easy to lose sight of that, because that perspective, I mean, 2020, 2021, that was a long time ago, quote unquote. (2:50) There's another, there's a lyric in a song that I like where he says, don't forget how bad you wanted it before you had it all. (2:56) There's, I think it's so easy to lose sight, because right now, I'm super overwhelmed, and I'm spread thin, and I'm stressed out, and we're the most successful we've ever been, and this is exactly what I said I wanted, and it's going to get better slash worse from here, in theory.(3:15) That's the goal, at least.

Alan Lazaros

(3:17) Do you think people, when they set a goal or a dream, they don't look at the cons as well as the pros?

Kevin Palmieri

(3:24) I don't think you could possibly know what the cons are. (3:28) Nobody talks about them, almost ever.

Alan Lazaros

(3:31) That's a huge L. (3:32) It's a huge L, and we imagine... (3:33) Just maybe think of Macaulay Culkin, because it's, it's, uh, he talks about the cons of getting so famous so quickly.(3:41) Yeah. (3:42) And he couldn't have known, right? (3:44) I mean, how old was he when he did Home Alone?

Kevin Palmieri

(3:47) I don't know, six, something like that. (3:49) He was young, seven, eight. (3:50) Yeah.(3:51) His parents made him do it. (3:52) You think he wanted to do it? (3:53) He wanted to work 16-hour days and then get tutored on the, in his trailer?(3:58) No way! (3:58) He probably didn't want to do that.

Alan Lazaros

(4:00) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(4:01) But they were making bank.

Alan Lazaros

(4:03) There is, yeah, there is no pro without a con. (4:09) I think it's really hard to know the cons, I think. (4:11) Can you think of anything, challenge, think of anything that has no cons?(4:20) Not, no, not really. (4:22) Yeah, there's no way. (4:23) If you dig deep enough.(4:24) There's no way. (4:25) So by that rationale, you minimize cons and maximize pros to live the most extraordinary life possible? (4:35) I think you make sure the, the cons are aligned.

Kevin Palmieri

(4:40) Yeah, agreed. (4:41) But if no one talks about them, then how do you make sure the cons are aligned? (4:46) I was, I was talking to a client the other day and they were like, oh, how was Toronto?(4:52) It looked like you were, you were doing really well up there. (4:54) I said, it was awesome. (4:54) And it was fucking terrible.

Alan Lazaros

(4:56) Yeah. (4:56) Absolutely. (4:57) I always say best worst trip ever.

Kevin Palmieri

(4:59) Best worst trip ever. (5:00) Or worst best trip ever, depending on how bad it was. (5:02) This was best worst because it was really good.(5:04) But I said, it's really hard. (5:07) Like I'm at a place now where I, it's very hard for me to be without my phone because WhatsApp is, there's always something going on. (5:15) One of the reasons, one of the things I'm so excited for with the holidays is my WhatsApp slows down.

Alan Lazaros

(5:21) Yeah, it's the best.

Kevin Palmieri

(5:22) It's the best. (5:23) So I can actually not look at my phone. (5:25) I said, it's, it's the travel was the best it's ever been.(5:29) And the credibility I have and the connections and the love I got was amazing. (5:32) And every night when I got back to the hotel, I had to work to make sure we were set up for the next day. (5:38) And I had to get up before most other people probably did in order to make sure we were set up for that day.(5:42) And it was just, and that's exactly what has to happen. (5:47) That's the, I think that's the hard thing. (5:49) And this is why I say this all the time.(5:51) And I don't mean this from an ego place. (5:53) I know a lot of podcasters that think they want what we have. (5:55) I'm telling you right now, if I gave you the keys to the kingdom, you give them back.(5:59) I'm telling you, I'm certain of it.

Alan Lazaros

(6:00) So how do we, how do we share that in a way where the people, because I still want people to chase their dreams. (6:07) This is not an anti dream. (6:09) No, no, no, of course.(6:10) Yeah. (6:10) So you want to be more successful. (6:13) And my thesis is one of the biggest lies in the world is that success makes life easier.(6:18) Success makes life harder because you have more responsibility. (6:21) So when I start a family with Amelia and we have kids and we have a beautiful home and we have businesses that are succeeding, that will make my life harder, not easier. (6:30) It will look better.(6:31) Yes. (6:32) It'll look amazing and it will be amazing, but it will be way more responsibility. (6:38) And you can't really want success without also wanting the risk, the responsibility, or I know you're going to say you can want it.(6:48) I wasn't going to say it's unintelligent to want success without also wanting responsibility. (6:53) Imagine playing D one basketball and being like, well, I don't really want to work out.

Kevin Palmieri

(6:58) Well, you're going to get smoked, but you know what it's like most likely because you probably played high school. (7:03) So there's aware there's, there's some level of awareness. (7:06) Well, when you go from high school to D one in college, it's not going to get easier.(7:11) No, no, it's obviously it's harder and it's different, but at least we already have exponentially harder. (7:15) You have a foundation of agreed. (7:17) You're not playing high school basketball and not working out.

Alan Lazaros

(7:21) Why do people make it look better than it is? (7:24) I think one of my problems is I don't do that. (7:26) I probably make this sound terrible.(7:28) And you are too. (7:29) You're making this sound terrible.

Kevin Palmieri

(7:30) Cause it is.

Alan Lazaros

(7:32) And awesome. (7:33) And awesome.

Kevin Palmieri

(7:34) More awesome than terrible for me, but I don't because it's because in the beginning I was like, everybody needs a podcast. (7:44) It's the best. (7:44) That's not true.(7:46) A lot of you out there that shouldn't have a podcast because it's not going to, it's not going to serve you in the way that you want it to just wouldn't make any sense. (7:52) Hey, why did you used to say that? (7:55) Like what didn't you know?(7:57) My experience is not the experience. (8:01) My experience is my experience based on what I value and what I want. (8:04) It was my dream to do this.(8:06) If it's your dream to be a full-time podcaster, that's a different conversation than somebody who's like, yeah, I don't know. (8:10) I thought it might be cool. (8:12) That's different.

Alan Lazaros

(8:12) Well, that's what we're talking about. (8:13) We're talking about people chasing their dreams and achieving success, but there is no, okay. (8:18) So everything has pros and cons.(8:20) Boom. (8:22) Are the cons worth it? (8:24) That's the question.(8:25) And, and that completely is based on your experience. (8:27) Each individual, if everyone right now, hypothetically took all the money out of their bank account and had $0, all of a sudden, there's a lot of opportunities that you'd start considering, you know, you'd start Ubering or whatever. (8:42) So I always think, and this is why podcasting is so hard for me before I coach somebody, I always need to know three things.(8:51) I need to know their goals. (8:53) I need to know their core values and I need to know their circumstances. (8:56) I had a client in the past who was $90,000 in debt and told me she was debt-free.(9:00) This is years and years and years ago. (9:01) I don't coach this person anymore. (9:03) And I found out through the grapevine that she had that debt.(9:07) And I was like, oh my God, all of the advice I gave her was suboptimal because what you do, 90 grand in debt is very different than what you do with no debt. (9:17) Obviously that's like, I don't know. (9:21) That's like me being seven foot four and not wanting to play basketball.(9:26) It's the circumstances are different. (9:28) You're five, six. (9:28) So you're not going to go to the NBA.(9:30) You shouldn't even try. (9:30) That's dumb. (9:31) It's unintelligent decision-making.(9:33) Circumstances matter, but if we're not honest about the circumstances, we can't make effective choices. (9:39) So anyone out there watching or listening to make this land for you, your biggest challenge right now is probably at one point, something you dreamed of, but maybe dreamed of inaccurately.

Kevin Palmieri

(9:50) I think the reason it doesn't get talked about is because it's, it seems like a credibility hit for me to say my life is hard or my I'm, I'm overwhelmed or because you're dumb as shit ever. (10:04) I understand. (10:05) I understand everyone's life is hard.(10:07) Yeah. (10:07) But there's a lot of people that are pretending that theirs isn't.

Alan Lazaros

(10:09) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(10:10) Because they want people to celebrate them and then want people to try to get to the point where they're at. (10:16) I think you and I are just, I don't want, this is not healthy for most people, so I don't want most people to do it. (10:24) I don't think it's this, what we're doing.(10:26) If you're, I tell that to podcasters all the time.

Alan Lazaros

(10:29) I don't think everyone trying to reach their potential is good. (10:32) I agree. (10:33) I agree.(10:33) I agree with that. (10:34) Speaking of reaching your full potential, if anyone out there needs, I looked this stat up recently and you can look this up yourself, Google, chat, GPT, whatever AI you use, ask it, how much more will I earn over time with a good business coach? (10:52) Now the key is good and effective business coach solutions based.(10:56) Last I looked this up, it was 700% more. (10:59) So if you could invest a modest amount into yourself and earn 700% more over your lifetime, why wouldn't you do that? (11:08) You have to invest money to make money.(11:10) Get a coach. (11:11) I will hold you accountable. (11:13) You will keep the promises to me more than you keep them to yourself.(11:16) I have someone sending me their calories every day. (11:18) I have someone sending me their finances every day. (11:20) That's one of the reasons I'm overwhelmed is because I have 25 people that I feel responsible partially for their success.(11:26) If you want to be one of them, I promise you it's more affordable than you think. (11:29) Please reach out, DM me on Instagram, email me, everything will be in the show notes.

Kevin Palmieri

(11:33) Oh, I think it's, I think a big piece of it is credibility. (11:37) Yeah, I think a big piece of it is credibility. (11:39) Making things look easy makes you look awesome.(11:43) Let me ask you a question. (11:44) It's a good question. (11:44) I can speak from my experience, but I want to hear yours.(11:47) When you were taking pictures of your abs, when you were doing fitness shows, do you ever talk about how hard it was? (11:52) I didn't. (11:54) Almost never.(11:56) I almost never did.

Alan Lazaros

(11:58) Remember I was doing that thing, the snake? (12:02) Yes. (12:02) Yeah.(12:03) It was really brutal. (12:04) It's really, really hard. (12:06) I think I liked talking about the mechanics of what get things done.(12:11) As an engineer, I like to talk about how hard things are.

Kevin Palmieri

(12:13) I'm curious if you went back, how honest you were. (12:17) I wasn't honest enough in my, when I would post a picture of me drinking my morning coffee, it was sunshine and rainbows. (12:25) There's a lot of people, I've told you this before, there's a lot of people, and I did this too, a hundred percent.(12:33) Newer to self-improvement, newer to personal development, and they're posting about how fulfilling this is and how fulfilled they are. (12:39) It's like, you don't have to post that. (12:42) You could post the fact that you're drowning right now.(12:45) You could post that if you wanted to. (12:46) That would probably be more beneficial, but I didn't either in the beginning.

Alan Lazaros

(12:49) This doesn't work for me because you and I have talked behind the scenes about how I feel like I create belonging by struggling. (12:58) Yeah. (12:59) I'll give you an example.(13:00) I don't struggle with my mental health almost at all. (13:02) I've always felt like I have a pretty good self-image. (13:05) I have high self-efficacy and self-belief, and I feel capable of most things.(13:09) That's not relatable. (13:10) No.

Kevin Palmieri

(13:13) Well, I think- Does that build credibility or hurt it? (13:16) I don't think people, when you say, I've exercised every day for however many days, and it's not, it's honestly like not that hard. (13:23) I think people probably just don't believe it.(13:26) Is my, I don't know. (13:27) There's a weird thing, like when you get to the point of being so honest that you tell the truth, I think a lot of people think it's ego because their truth is so far from your truth.

Alan Lazaros

(13:38) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(13:39) Yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(13:39) That's a whole- Well, it's all relative too, because I could say it's really hard, depending on how I look at it. (13:47) I don't think it's hard compared to exercising every day since March 1st of 2022. (13:54) There's two ways I could say this.(13:55) I could say, yeah, it's been really challenging, or I can say it's actually been pretty easy. (14:00) Both of them are somewhat true. (14:02) There were certain times that were really hard.(14:05) I can think of one in particular. (14:07) We were at this place called the Chateau. (14:08) We call it the shit-toe.

Kevin Palmieri

(14:09) The shit-toe, yeah.

Alan Lazaros

(14:09) I knew that was coming. (14:10) And it was 1130 at night, and the last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed, and we had to go and do steady state cardio, walk in the freezing fucking cold. (14:19) This is a few winters ago.(14:21) That night was pretty hard. (14:23) It was like below zero, wind chill. (14:25) It was bad.(14:26) But again, who gives a shit? (14:28) Whatever. (14:29) I never told you this, but we hiked the Appalachian Trail in freezing cold weather, freezing ice.(14:35) And I realized in hindsight that was pretty reckless.

Kevin Palmieri

(14:37) I don't like when you tell me these things.

Alan Lazaros

(14:38) Yeah, yeah. (14:38) But my point is, no, I don't think it was hard for me compared to... (14:43) What is hard?(14:45) Okay, I'll give you an example of hard. (14:48) Signal analysis in computer engineering school was hard. (14:51) That was really hard.(14:53) And I'm not joking. (14:54) That was actually like, oh my god. (14:56) I've never gotten C's in my life.(14:57) What the fuck is this? (15:00) But everything else is easy compared to that. (15:03) The marathon was really hard, but only because I was dehydrated in 95-degree weather on a whim.(15:08) I think I like hard.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:10) Yeah, you like making things hard.

Alan Lazaros

(15:12) I like making things harder because that's how you grow, but that hurts your credibility and perception. (15:16) Most of what I do is fairly easy for me, but I like to make it harder so that I grow. (15:22) Because if you're not doing hard things, you're not growing.

Kevin Palmieri

(15:25) Well, I don't know. (15:26) It's challenging. (15:27) It's a challenging concept in general because...(15:31) To your point, I don't want somebody to hear this and say, ah, I'm not going to chase my dreams. (15:34) I believe the pressure that is a privilege is way better. (15:39) Okay, we have a client that pays us $9,000 a month.(15:43) I have to make sure we deliver on that. (15:45) That's a great problem to have. (15:47) That's an absolutely great problem to have.(15:49) It's a lot of responsibility though. (15:50) And it's a lot of responsibility. (15:52) And it's probably more responsibility than I thought.(15:56) That's healthy. (15:57) Yeah, I would say so. (15:58) Because everybody makes high-ticket business and sales sound so easy.(16:03) All you have to do is work with five people that they pay you $500,000 a day, and you're good.

Alan Lazaros

(16:11) All right. (16:13) First of all, let's just dedicate our entire existence to being as honest as possible. (16:17) And I accept.(16:18) And that's what we do. (16:19) And I think that's great, because ultimately you're not going to get that anywhere else, unfortunately. (16:25) The other piece of this is everything we share is from our perspective.(16:30) Everything we share is from our personal development set point. (16:35) So in my life right now, I think I'm more than capable of all of it. (16:39) But that makes it sound easy.(16:42) Doesn't that make it sound easy? (16:44) Yeah. (16:45) I don't wake up like, oh, it's going to be a fucking piece of cake today.(16:49) But I'm not burning down. (16:51) I feel very capable of what we're accomplishing. (16:55) It's just weird.(16:56) The whole thing is weird. (16:57) Perception versus reality pisses me off. (16:59) It bothers me so much.(17:01) I would love to see everybody coach 25 people and lead a 22-person team. (17:06) And then you'd actually know the real truth. (17:08) But nobody's going to know that.(17:09) And it is what it is. (17:11) So what is your dream? (17:17) What are your goals?(17:18) What are your circumstances? (17:19) And then if you have challenges, are they by design or are they by accident? (17:25) I got a question for you.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:26) Now, please don't take this question personally, because it'll come off. (17:30) I will try my best. (17:31) Who do you think is doing more of a service to the audience?(17:36) Me saying it's hard or you saying it's easy? (17:39) Because those are both of our truths. (17:41) I'm not making that up.(17:41) You're not making that up.

Alan Lazaros

(17:42) Yeah. (17:44) I honestly don't know anymore. (17:46) I don't know.(17:48) I used to think it was me, but I don't know.

Kevin Palmieri

(17:52) Why do most people fail at things? (17:54) Because it's harder than they thought. (17:56) Nobody goes into something like, oh, this is way easier than I thought.(18:01) Some people do. (18:01) But not most people. (18:03) What percentage?(18:04) Very low. (18:05) Three, maybe? (18:06) One.(18:06) Yeah, like how many people sign up for a marathon, start running, and they're like, this is way easier than I thought.

Alan Lazaros

(18:10) The first half of the marathon was a joke, dude.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:11) I'm not even going to do this because it's so easy.

Alan Lazaros

(18:13) Real talk.

Kevin Palmieri

(18:14) But that's you. (18:16) The first half marathon, I have a video of me running backwards saying I'm going to go for five and a half hours. (18:21) I want to see that as what you think entrepreneurship is going to be like, and the video of you crawling.

Alan Lazaros

(18:27) Crawling across the finish line. (18:28) I did run the last lap, although it looked like I was 87. (18:32) At the end of the day, though, I do think we'll get back to it, which is, let's get as close to the truth as possible, because I think that we all do everyone a disservice when we're inaccurate.(18:43) Because I think I'm doing a disservice if I say doing a marathon is easy. (18:47) Let me rephrase. (18:48) Doing a marathon is not easy.(18:49) Doing a half marathon was easy. (18:51) I'm not joking. (18:52) That was like really fucking easy.(18:55) Okay, for me, yeah, yeah, yeah. (18:57) But I was exercising consistently. (19:00) I've been an athlete for 11 years.(19:01) I am also an ectomorph. (19:03) I've got legs like a giraffe. (19:05) There's a lot of circumstances in that.(19:08) So I think you kind of have to give the both sides of, okay, a half marathon was easy for me, and X, Y, Z was true, which made it easy. (19:18) So the goal is to see the world accurately, because if you go into something thinking it's going to be easy, and then it's devastatingly hard, you'll get tons of humble pie, and then you'll leave more accurate. (19:32) If you go into thinking something's going to be easy, maybe you'll actually try it.(19:36) So I don't know. (19:39) What's the optimal sweet spot of, hey, definitely chase your dreams, but don't think it's going to be easy, and make sure you still do it, because it'll be worth it, even if it is atrociously difficult. (19:51) So if you only listen to Kevin, you're like, you know what?(19:53) Maybe I shouldn't chase my dreams. (19:55) I should stay at my corporate nine to five. (19:56) Well, if you're miserable, you should start a podcast.(19:59) If you think you've got to try it. (20:02) It's almost like it totally depends on who's listening.

Kevin Palmieri

(20:06) I'm talking about the extremes, though, I think. (20:09) How many people would see you or I on bodybuilding stage and say, I'd really like to look like that? (20:14) No, you wouldn't.(20:15) No, you fucking wouldn't. (20:17) Not a chance. (20:18) Who would?(20:20) I think everybody would like to. (20:22) Most people would never do what it takes to get there. (20:26) I want our podcast to be about that.

Alan Lazaros

(20:28) It's always what it actually takes to get there.

Kevin Palmieri

(20:30) I think it's probably worse than people think, because I don't do... (20:35) Did you think it was going to be easier than it was? (20:38) Yeah, for sure.(20:40) I didn't think it was going to push me to the places it pushed me. (20:42) No.

Alan Lazaros

(20:43) Yeah, of course not. (20:43) Would you have done it if you'd known?

Kevin Palmieri

(20:45) Fuck no. (20:47) No. (20:48) Just like I would have done it.(20:49) I don't know if I would have done this.

Alan Lazaros

(20:51) If I knew. (20:51) That's fucked up. (20:52) That pisses me off.(20:53) That sucks. (20:54) Luckily, you didn't know. (20:55) Well, I know.(20:57) I know. (20:57) Is that why you think delusion is of value at the beginning sometimes? (21:02) Because if you had known what this would take, you might not have started.(21:05) I'm grateful.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:06) If I could go back and change it, I wouldn't. (21:09) I joke about it, but I wouldn't. (21:10) I love this.(21:11) This is the best. (21:12) I'm so grateful. (21:13) I'm so privileged.(21:13) I get to do what I love every day. (21:15) This is literally my fucking dream. (21:16) But my dream is just way harder than I thought it was going to be.(21:19) In every way.

Alan Lazaros

(21:21) Okay, so if you're optimistic, everything is probably going to be harder than you think. (21:26) And if you're pessimistic, maybe it'll be easier than you think. (21:30) Wait, I wasn't optimistic.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:31) I was pessimistic. (21:32) It was still harder. (21:34) Yeah, I got the best.(21:35) I got the worst.

Alan Lazaros

(21:36) I do think that's because of me.

Kevin Palmieri

(21:37) I do. (21:38) I want everything to be harder, not easier. (21:40) I think you don't grow otherwise.(21:42) Here's my, this is my thought. (21:43) I'm not saying you shouldn't do the thing. (21:45) I'm not saying that.(21:46) I'm not saying you shouldn't do the thing. (21:47) I'm not saying you shouldn't go all in. (21:49) I'm not saying that.(21:50) I'm just saying, be honest with yourself when it gets to the point where you realize like, this is actually different than I expected. (21:58) And maybe the different isn't in a serving way. (22:01) I get to grow for a living.(22:02) That's awesome. (22:03) I think it comes down to the goal. (22:04) What is your goal with all this?(22:07) Me?

Alan Lazaros

(22:07) Because, what'd you say? (22:09) Oh, I didn't know if you were asking me. (22:10) What'd you say?(22:11) I was. (22:11) What'd you say? (22:12) I said me.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:13) Like, are you asking me?

Alan Lazaros

(22:14) Yeah, I'm asking you. (22:15) I thought you said meaning. (22:16) I was like, good for you.

Kevin Palmieri

(22:18) That's one of my goals for sure. (22:19) That's a piece of it. (22:21) To have the most successful self-improvement podcast on the planet.(22:26) Okay, but if we did, why? (22:27) You know, why? (22:31) I don't know.(22:32) Because it's, I feel like there's, that's like the most rewarding thing in the world. (22:38) Yeah. (22:39) And.(22:40) Meaning. (22:41) And what I'm going to have to become to actually accomplish that is way more than anything else I would have become doing anything else. (22:47) So that's a, that's a big piece of it.(22:49) And I think we can. (22:51) How delusional that is, I don't know. (22:53) But I think, I mean, look.(22:56) I told Taryn this yesterday. (22:57) I was like, dude, that we just recorded our 2,200 and whatever it was. (23:01) That's fucking insane.(23:02) That's wild. (23:03) I can't believe. (23:04) And then like in two years, it'll be another 700.(23:08) Okay, that's, it's just wild to me. (23:09) It blows my mind.

Alan Lazaros

(23:10) So yeah, all of those reasons. (23:13) I'm grateful you share things like that. (23:15) That's important.(23:16) I don't, I don't feel that way at all. (23:18) I, I think it's great. (23:21) But I, I don't think that that's anything outside of your normal.(23:28) Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri

(23:28) Yeah. (23:29) Your normal. (23:29) That's what the conversation is.(23:31) Everybody has a different normal.

Alan Lazaros

(23:33) Yeah. (23:34) You know, if you want to reach your full potential, you're going to have to make things harder. (23:43) If you want to achieve goals that are beyond your current capabilities, I think that's the point of a goal.(23:50) And we'll get out of here after this, but why, why set goals? (23:56) Because it forces you to embark on an epic journey that challenges you. (24:01) And it forces you to face your fears and become more.(24:05) And when you become more, you have more to give. (24:07) That is the real reason. (24:09) I mean, every character in every film starts out a little victim and has to go on the hero's journey to become more powerful.(24:18) And they face trials and tribulations. (24:19) Like that's what our life is about. (24:21) To me, it's meaningful.(24:23) Life is meaningless without growth and contribution. (24:26) And what's the point of all this? (24:27) If we're not trying to get better, I've contemplated life a lot.(24:31) And I think at the end of the day, you think about it. (24:33) It's like, what's the alternative? (24:34) What's the alternative?(24:35) Okay. (24:35) Don't chase your dreams. (24:37) No goals.(24:40) You chase hedonistic pleasures all the time. (24:43) And you just try to enjoy every moment. (24:45) That person is going to be miserable eventually.(24:50) The first week will be dope. (24:52) First week will be dope. (24:53) But eventually, you wouldn't have met Taryn.(24:57) I wouldn't have met Emilia. (24:59) We wouldn't have the team we have. (25:00) We wouldn't have met so many amazing listeners from all over the world.(25:03) We wouldn't have faced our fears from our past. (25:06) We wouldn't have faced our trauma from not having dads. (25:08) We wouldn't have become the male role models that we're proud to be.(25:11) To me, I think it all comes down to what's the dream and the goal that will force you to embark on your unique epic journey that forces you to become all of who you're meant to be. (25:20) And by meant to be, I mean what you can be. (25:23) Like, what is your true potential?(25:25) And are you reaching for it every day? (25:29) I think that's really what this always comes down to for me.

Kevin Palmieri

(25:32) Which is why I make everything harder. (25:34) Sorry. (25:35) No, no, you're good.(25:35) It's a really good point because if we only lived for a year, like, I can understand people just balling out for the year. (25:41) Agreed. (25:42) Like, just go do.(25:42) I mean, you got to do all the great stuff.

Alan Lazaros

(25:44) That's game theory, brother. (25:45) The average life expectancy is 80 for women, 79 for men globally right now. (25:50) If you are just focused on 2026, you're mathematically doing the wrong suboptimal things because you're most likely going to live till 80.(25:59) That's like the statistical probability of that's the average. (26:03) The average is 80. (26:04) The builders are in their 90s now and the boomers are in their 65 to 75 or something like that.(26:10) The point that I'm making is if we were only going to live one more year, that's why I hate that quote of if you're going to die tomorrow, live like you're going to die tomorrow, rocky mountain climbing. (26:21) It's a great song.

Kevin Palmieri

(26:22) It's not actually, it's terrible.

Alan Lazaros

(26:24) It's also a terrible song. (26:25) It's an inspiring song, I think. (26:27) But whatever.(26:29) The way that you orient your life can't be based on something that's most likely not going to happen. (26:36) You know, obviously you wouldn't be investing your time and effort into becoming a better person today and into this podcast and into this company, into this business. (26:44) If you didn't think it would actually pay off long-term, people don't invest and pay a price for a promise that's unclear.(26:51) And so I hope whatever your promise is, that's why I always go to reach your full potential. (26:56) I know it sounds esoteric and annoying, but at the end of the day, if you're not going for that, you're basically not living the most magnificent life that you can. (27:07) And there's no redos.(27:08) There's no, you get one shot at this world, this life, and you got to give it everything you've got. (27:14) I can't see another better path. (27:16) I just can't.

Kevin Palmieri

(27:18) What songs motivate you, inspire you, motivate you the most? (27:21) That song to me is dumb. (27:24) I hate it.(27:25) I think it's dumb as shit. (27:26) The songs that motivate me and inspire me are the ones where somebody's usually rapping, but about how they grew up in the extremist form of poverty and somehow found a way out. (27:36) That to me is like, yeah, let's live like we're dying.(27:40) Like, no, let's live like we're living. (27:43) How about that? (27:43) Let's live like we're living and we want to live for a long, you know, and we want to overcome.(27:47) That always inspires me. (27:48) Overcome? (27:49) A hundred percent.(27:49) Overcome adversity.

Alan Lazaros

(27:51) I'm with you. (27:52) Sorry, Tim. (27:53) Tim McGraw, I think.(27:55) Sorry, Tim. (27:56) Sorry, whoever you are. (27:56) But I'm with you on that.(27:57) I think it's people who make something of themselves through tremendous adversity is the most inspiring shit in the world.

Kevin Palmieri

(28:04) That it is. (28:05) All right. (28:06) All right, squad.(28:06) If you are looking for more inspirational stuff, make sure you come back tomorrow. (28:11) That's what we'll say because we're going to be here. (28:12) We do an episode every day.(28:14) If you listen to us, we're on YouTube as well. (28:16) We don't never really talk about that, but we are definitely, we're going to get a new studio in the coming, in the coming ages. (28:23) So we're really going to be, we're going to be going back in the coming ages.(28:26) We're going back to the old days of when we were the Hyperconscious podcast. (28:30) We had a studio and all that. (28:31) So big changes coming.(28:32) I'm excited for that, man. (28:32) Same. (28:33) Big changes coming 2026, 2027.(28:35) All right. (28:36) As always, we love you. (28:37) We appreciate you.(28:37) Grateful for each and every one of you. (28:38) And if you are as committed as you say you are to getting to the next level, make sure you tune in tomorrow because again, we will be here every single day to help you get there.

Alan Lazaros

(28:45) Keep reaching and leveling up to your true potential. (28:48) Next Level Nation.

Kevin Palmieri

(28:50) Thanks for joining us for another episode of Next Level University. (28:54) We love connecting with the Next Level family.

Alan Lazaros

(28:57) We mean it when we say family. (28:59) If you ever need anything, please reach out to us directly. (29:02) Everything you need to get ahold of us is in the show notes.(29:06) Thank you again. (29:07) And we will talk to you tomorrow.